The 2025-26 high school sports year ended a little early in Livingston County when Howell’s softball team lost in a state quarterfinal and Hartland’s girls soccer team lost in a state semifinal on Tuesday, June 9.
It was a rare spring in which a county team didn’t reach a state championship game. At least one team from the county played in a state championship game each of the past seven springs, with multiple finalists six of those years.
With the final chapter having been written, here’s a look back at the top 10 highlights from Livingston County sports in 2025-26:
1. Miss Basketball
The expectations immediately rose for Howell when an already strong team added Michigan State recruit Lilly Williams. Williams lived up to her billing, winning Miss Basketball as the state’s top senior and leading the Highlanders to 23-2 season that included a 19-game winning streak. Williams is the first Miss Basketball from a Livingston County school.
2. Howell hockey
The Highlanders were the hottest team in Michigan most of the season, winning 26 consecutive games between losses to Detroit Catholic Central in the season opener and the state quarterfinals. They didn’t win a state championship, having the misfortune of running into a C.C. dynasty, but they’ll go down as one of the greatest hockey teams in county history.
3. Howell football
The Highlanders didn’t drop off much from their historic 2024 season, going 9-2 and beating state power Belleville for a second straight year in the KLAA championship game. Howell proved its program isn’t a one-hit wonder and should have some staying power.
4. Hartland gymnasts repeat
The only MHSAA state championship won by a county team in the 2025-26 season was captured by Hartland’s gymnastics team, which won for the second straight year despite some key losses. Lexi Fundich followed up on the team title the next day by winning the state all-around championship.
5. Wrestling rivals meet in semis
The Brighton-Hartland wrestling rivalry was put on a big stage with a berth in the state Division 1 championship match at stake. Hartland won the state semifinal dual, 39-30, before losing to Detroit Catholic Central in the state final, 43-16.
6. Jaelyn Ray is a force
Pinckney junior Jaelyn Ray could own every distance record in Livingston County by the time she’s done. She set the county cross country record with a time of 17:36.7, then set the 1,600-meter in track by running 4:49.22. She temporarily held the 800 record and ranks second in the 3,200, the event she won at the state Division 2 finals.
7. County wrestlers win at Ford Field
A county with only five wrestling programs continued to make its presence known during the state individual wrestling finals at Ford Field. Hartland’s Bodie Abbey and Dallas Korponic, Fowlerville’s Layne O’Neil and Brighton’s Alexis Lazar won state championships. Hartland’s Jase Sensor, Brighton’s Dom Nauss and Howell’s Olive DiMassa were state runners-up.
8. Distance records shattered
Ray wasn’t the only distance runner in the county breaking records. Howell junior Jack MacGregor broke school marks in cross country, the 1,600 and 3,200. Hartland’s Elliana Neuer set school records in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200. Brighton’s Juliet Lewis set the county record in the 800. Brighton’s Lydia LaMarra broke a long-standing school record in cross country.
9. Michael Bernardi’s heroics
There may not have been a more clutch athlete in Livingston County that Hartland baseball senior Michael Bernardi. Coming off a state championship run in which he was one of the Eagles’ heroes, Bernardi threw a shutout in the KLAA championship game, had a walk-off single against Brighton in a pre-district and threw a one-hitter against Okemos in a district semifinal.
10. Brighton football sophomores
Brighton’s football team reached the second round of the state playoffs behind a core of sophomore who could break school and county records by the time they’re finished. Dom Nauss led the county with 1,489 rushing yards, Jamo Parsell caught 31 passes for 611 yards and nine touchdowns, and quarterback Dom D’Agosta threw for 1,679 yards and 15 touchdowns. This will be a group to keep an eye on for the next two years.
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@livingstondaily.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Livingston County’s top high school sports stories in 2025-26
Reporting by Bill Khan, Livingston Daily / Livingston Daily
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Bill Khan, Livingston Daily | USA TODAY Network
